Friday, May 19, 2017

Inexpensive Computer OS and File Security



How to Spend ONLY ~$25.00 to Have a Backup Way to Protect Your Computer!


Recently in the news we have been reading & viewing features about computers in many countries all over the world having Malware placed on them that encrypts the users' files, demands a "ransom" of $XXX.XX to decrypt the user’s files, and when or if the "ransom" is paid, the Hacker(s) never release the files that they took 'hostage'!


Well, I have been trying to inform my many friends for years how to have an emergency SAFEGUARD  backup method of protecting your computer's Operating System as well as your critical Documentation Files, Audio Files, & precious Photographs + Videos.


Equipment wise the user will have to buy two (2) Flash Drives or SD Cards. I personally purchased a 32GB Flash Drive and a 64GB Flash Drive from Amazon for $10.00 & $15.00 each.


1.) Then you need to plug the 64GB [or greater] Flash Drive into the computer and proceeded to copy every folder that on the computer holds any Documentation Files, Audio Files, & precious Photographs + Videos. {depending on what microprocessor the computer has, this might take 30 - to 45 minutes [you don't have to do it in a single setting]} but you then have a good backup of ALL your important data! Remove the 64GB [or greater] Flash drive from the computer when the task is completed!


2.) Next plug the 32GB Flash Drive into the computer, then RIGHT click on the Windows Icon located on the Task Bar at the bottom of the screen and then LEFT click on the word search that appears in the dialog box.


3.) Type the phrase "Create Recovery Disk" in the space provided followed by pressing the "Enter" Key; a pop-up dialog box will appear that will guide the user through now making an Operating System Recovery Disk on the 32GB Flash Drive. {This may also take some time, [drink a cup of coffee, a soda, or a beer while you wait] so be patient} When the process is completed click on finish in the dialog box and remove the 32GB Flash Drive.


NOW if you ever have a virus and/or malware that finds its way onto your computer that your Anti-Viral & Malware software can't seem to eradicate, you are no longer up-the-creek-without-a-paddle!! First contact your Anti-Viral & Malware provider, if they can't help you there is now the option open to you of re-installing your Operating System and your computer's Documentation Files, Audio Files, & precious Photographs + Videos.


A.) Turn the power off that goes to the computer!


B.) Plug the 32GB Flash Drive into the computer!

C.) Turn the computer on WHILE holding down the F8 or F12 key {depending on your computer brand}!

D.) When the computer starts, it will take you to the BIOS start menu!

E.) Chose to Erase & REFORMAT the Hard Drive!

F.) Repeat option C and chose to start the computer by loading the Operating System from the 32GB Flash Drive (which is now the Recovery Disk)

G.) After the Operating System has been re-installed, you can use the 64GB [or greater] Flash Drive to reinstall the computer's Documentation Files, Audio Files, & precious Photographs + Videos.

H.) The ONLY last set of task(s) is to download and reinstall all of the Application Programs* that the user prefers!

Like I cautioned in the beginning, this is an emergency method to always have in reserve, just in case the computer user has to deal with an terrible situation!

* I wrote a blog in October 2011 about some of the FREEWARE programs that I use as an "alternative" to some of the expensive commercial programs to include:

Office Suite* Microsoft Office LibreOffice (http://www.libreoffice.org/)

Optical Character RecognitionABBYY FineReaderFreeOCR ↔ (http://www.paperfile.net/)

Image Manipulation Adobe Photoshop GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/)

Sound Editing WavePad Masters Audacity  (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)

File Compression WinZip Ken Ward's Zipper (http://www.trans4mind.com/personal_development/zipper/index.html)

Well six (6) years later, the latest versions of these programs are still very viable and excellent alternatives to the commercial programs of similar function! If you are repopulating your computer, it may be a time for you to try a few of them and see if they can serve your programming purposes!!

No comments:

Post a Comment